


Correlation May Not Equal Causation, But When You Put Two and Two Together, It Equals Trouble for Everyone

by knightofsuperior



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Tales of Graces
Genre: Post-Canon, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers, Tales of Graces Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:28:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25420126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightofsuperior/pseuds/knightofsuperior
Summary: When Pascal loses her latest invention, the last thing she expects is to open up old wounds in her former adventuring party, nor a portal to another dimension.Unfortunately, they're a package deal, with a few add-ons for good measure.
Kudos: 5





	Correlation May Not Equal Causation, But When You Put Two and Two Together, It Equals Trouble for Everyone

Claude expected a lot of things once he returned to Fodlan.

Political strife, especially after the remnants of the Imperials and Those Who Slither scattered following the battle at Derdriu.

Lots of hugs, kisses, and “when were you going to tell us you were Almyran?”s from his closest friends.

A nice, long, and interesting life with the woman he loved.

A simple three-point list.

Nice and clear.

So, as one would imagine, a talking, mechanical brick falling from the sky was counterproductive to that simplicity.

“Hey, pay attention! I know you’re there, I just heard you go all-” A mocking mimicry of his voice came out from the tiny, white-haired woman inside the brick. “-‘What the hell, why is this thing talking to me!’ Don’t try to act like you can’t hear me!”

“It’s...I’m sorry, I-” Claude pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hold on. Is that what you think I sound like?”

“I mean...sorta? I’m still working out the kinks with this thing,” the woman admitted, a sheepish grin creeping onto her face. “Some people’s voices get higher, some get lower. Once I get these puppies mass-produced, we can do a bit more focus-testing.”

“You can make  _ more _ of these.”

“Eventually!”

Claude grumbled, glancing towards the ground. “I’m going crazy. I’m talking to a brick and I’m going crazy.”

“Well, I can’t speak for the first part, but it’s not a brick! It’s...actually, I don’t have a name for it yet. Talky-looky? Communi-watch? Pascal’s totally awesome and totally unique video box?”

Claude sighed. “Okay, let’s back things up. I take it you’re Pascal in this equation?”

“The one and only!”

“And what I’m holding is...what, exactly?”

“My latest invention!” Pascal put a hand to her chest, clearing her throat. “Pascal’s soon-to-be-named audio/video communication device is a brand-new way to talk with people all over the world! As you can see, we’re talking in real time, face to...well, screen, but you get it!”

Claude grinned, despite his apprehension. Sure, this looked like something that could’ve come straight out of Agartha, but last he checked, Agartha had been summarily crushed by its own citizens in an attempt to kill the Golden Deer. He highly doubted much could survive  _ that _ , so this had to be something...if not  _ entirely _ different, significantly different. “I don’t, actually. Explain it to me like I’m five.”

Pascal’s eyes lit up.

Claude wondered, briefly, if he made a mistake.

* * *

“-and then that travels over invisible waves to-”

* * *

“-new touch screen technology, I’m calling it Pascal-o-Vision-”

* * *

“-and it can even be used as an alarm clock!”

Claude blinked, waiting for her to continue.

“Oh, that’s everything.” Pascal scratched the back of her head, letting out a weak chuckle. “May have gotten a bit carried away there. It’s just...technology is amazing, don’t you think?”

Claude nodded. “It’s certainly something, depending on whoever uses it.”

He could briefly see Pascal’s face flicker towards a frown, ever-so-slightly. Was that the screen, or her? In an instant, it was gone, replaced with a beaming smile. “You’re definitely not wrong! I’m just glad someone found my prototype intact this time. Surprised it survived the fall at all, really.”

Claude raised an eyebrow. “Fall? What, do you live in the sky or something?”

Pascal held up her free hand, waving it back and forth. “No, no, no, no! Of course not! People living in the sky, that’s ridiculous!”

“Okay, well-”

“Although, I  _ do _ live inside a mountain, which  _ technically  _ could be in the sky, depending on your definition of the word. I was flying in a ship when it went missing!”

Claude paused. “...pardon?”

“Look, I can tell you all about it once I get there. That thingamajig has a global positioning system-I call it the Pascal Pinpointer!-and I’ll be able to head over to pick it up. I should be able to make it there in about...thirty minutes, an hour?”

Pascal suddenly jumped, her side of the “screen” tumbling back and forth as a voice cried out from behind her. “You’re not going  _ anywhere _ until you’ve taken a bath, Pascal! You reek!”

“Aw, Fourier, come on! It’s only gonna be a quick jaunt to…huh.” Pascal glanced back at the screen as it stabilized, with Claude barely making out another figure behind her. “Actually, Fourier, take a look at this.” The figure drew closer, squinting at something just off to the side. Her hair was just as pale as Pascal’s, though it seemed both had red highlights in the same spots. Were they family, maybe? “I was over Strahta when I was testing the new engine, but the signal isn’t coming from there. If these readings are accurate, it’d be coming from smack-dab in the middle of the ocean!”

Fourier raised an eyebrow. “That’s strange...is the data coming in incorrectly?” She glanced at Claude through the screen, her gaze narrowing. “And who might you be, if I can ask?”

“Oh, my apologies-I haven’t had a chance to properly introduce myself.” Claude, as best he could to the tiny box, gave a quick bow. “Claude von Riegan, King of the United Kingdom of Fodlan, at your service.”

“United…”

“Huh?”

The two stared at him. 

They glanced at each other.

“Pascal,” Fourier asked, cautiously. “What...exactly happened when you tested the engine?”

Pascal put a hand to her chin. “Well, there was some turbulence, the emergency exit was opened-remind me to get latches for that-, I almost fell out of the ship, the ship started glowing green, the glow started swirling like a drain, the whatchamacallit fell  out of my pocket and into the-”

She stopped.

“...oh.  _ Oh. _ ”

Fourier, for her part, looked mortified. “When were you going to tell me you almost  _ fell out of a spaceship?! _ ”

“Eventually, I made it, so it’s fine-that’s not important.” 

Claude held up a hand. “I think that’s fairly important.”

“See?!” Fourier hissed.

“No, no, listen-I think when the engine went haywire, something happened. I’m not sure what-I need to run a few more tests-but…” Pascal’s tone grew deadly serious as she turned back towards Fourier. “I think it opened a portal to another planet.”

Claude opened his mouth to speak, only for a long, confused “Um” to make its appearance. “...what…” He eventually managed. “What do you mean  _ another _ planet?”

“I mean another planet, duh. There’s more than one, you know!”

Claude’s grip tightened on the box. “...no, actually, I don’t.”

All was silent.

“Pascal,” Fourier quickly warned, “Don’t overwhelm him-”

Pascal’s squeal of delight was sign enough that Fourier’s words were in vain. “Well, I guess now’s as good a time as any to tell you that there’s a whole bunch of planets in the universe. Heck, I’ve been to one myself! It was this place called Fodra, and it had all these androids and-” 

“Claude?” a new voice interjected. “What are you doing?”

Claude let out a nervous chuckle. She always had a way of sneaking up on him.

“Well, I may have just made first contact with life beyond the stars,” he joked.

The newcomer peered over his shoulder, tilting her head to see the screen. “Really? Are they nice?”

“Sure they are. Pascal, this is…huh?”

Pascal’s eyes were wide, and trained directly onto the other woman’s.

Or, more accurately, her hair.

Her emerald-green hair.

“Fod _ lan... _ Fo _ dra… _ ” Pascal’s jaw dropped, her shoulders and voice alike shaking. “I…no way...”

Byleth tilted her head. “Is something wrong?”

Pascal, her words tumbling out of her mouth, put it as succinctly as possible. “I  _ really _ hope not.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, Tales of Crestoria, for putting me back on my bullshit when it comes to the one Tales game I've beaten in near-full (epilogue chapter aside). This was admittedly inspired by the fact that Emmeraude's hair is green and that Fodlan sounds a lot like Fodra. There's something there, I tell you.


End file.
